What's it like riding the new and improved Bay Bridge?

[ducleaner]

I drove today and came home (East bound) around 8:30. The bridge was backed up to Zeitgeist. There was no traffic. People were doing [wait for it] 3mph through the new turn conservatively marked 40mph. All 5 lanes. 3 mph.

Just curious who's ridden it so far and if it's crazy-scary splitting lanes with all these people freaking out about a little turn.

[mostrobelle]

I rode it in and back for the first time today.  As you noted, traffic is absolutely atrocious leading up to the bridge.  I have no idea why.  I didn't split going through it this a.m., but as of this evening I was hauling past people.  The lanes might be a touch narrower and there still is no emergency lane/shoulder, but otherwise the pavement is in good shape and the reflectors and paint are all nice n shiny. 

[Michael Moore]

I rode it westbound the afternoon of the first day it was open, and I think most of the drivers had made alternate plans, so it was pretty empty. To me the corner seemed like NBD, pretty easy to navigate.

But drivers are like cattle - if they can't see exactly what's coming, or are confronted with something unfamiliar, they'll just grind to a standstill.

From Temple Grandin:
"I credit my visualization abilities with helping me understand the animals I work with. Early in my career I used a camera to help give me the animals' perspective as they walked through a chute for their veterinary treatment. I would kneel down and take pictures through the chute from the cow's eye level. Using the photos, I was able to figure out which things scared the cattle, such as shadows and bright spots of sunlight. Back then I used black-and-white film, because twenty years ago scientists believed that cattle lacked color vision. Today, research has shown that cattle can see colors, but the photos provided the unique advantage of seeing the world through a cow's viewpoint. They helped me figure out why the animals refused to go in one chute but willingly walked through another."

[sroberts152]

Article in ktvu.com about this...

Traffic Jams may be new reality on Bay Bridge:
http://www.ktvu.com/news/20825152/detail.html

Great planning.  Glad this happened.

[tigre]

Was it bridge traffic that had shit backed up to the 280/101 split coming home yesterday? 

 

[somegirl]

Anybody remember how bad the traffic was several years ago when they had the metal plates on the bridge?

[ducleaner]

Anybody remember how bad the traffic was several years ago when they had the metal plates on the bridge?

omg. I forgot about those. They were so rough to drive over (especially if you had pss9s). sigh. This area is such a horrible place to enjoy one of the most basic pleasures in life. Being in charge of your own mobility far from the stench and discomfort of strangers. It was ruined by the people that flocked here. Unlike the land of milk and honey 400 miles to the south where independence stands above community and beauty is loved above all else. Well, that's how I see it.

[ducnymph]

Darn, I'm bummed to see the traffic be even worse. Today will be my first ride across during real commute hours. I've been going back and forth on it since it re-opened and thought the pavement was nice and glad they fixed that one bump when you're on the top deck just before the tunnel. The lower deck seems really different and much narrower - I hope nobody grinds to a hault!

[enzo]

When the 24/680 interchange was rebuilt, Caltrans built a temporary overpass over the construction site.  Drivers never got used to the height, and traffic was a problem for the duration of construction.  Hopefully the BB won't be like that, but it's possible.

[sroberts152]

I had to go up to Munroe Motors today and 80/101 area was basically stop and go all day.  I didn't even cross the bridge (coming up from Menlo Park) and it still blocked everything up.